6.9 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
A documentary on the last remaining Blockbuster Video in Bend, Oregon.
Starring: Kevin Smith, Ione Skye, Brian Posehn, Doug Benson, Paul ScheerDocumentary | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-2
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: Dolby Digital 2.0
None
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
DVD copy
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 2.5 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Most everyone at or over 40 who has any interest whatsoever in movies probably has fond memories of browsing through a local video store. For this reviewer, it was, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Rick's Video in Greensburg, PA, as well as the video rental sections in the local Giant Eagle and Davis Supermarket stores, not to mention countless jaunts to browse and buy at Suncoast Video (primarily for VHS tapes) and Camelot Music (primarily for LaserDisc), both then-located in Westmoreland Mall. Blockbuster would be big -- huge -- a bit later on in the 1990s and into the 2000s and did a lot of damage to the local mom and pop rental houses. Blockbuster is essentially a thing of the past now, of course, with rented physical media having been all but replaced by digital streams. The Last Blockbuster takes a loving look at the last of the once-great chain's rental stores in Bend, Oregon, somehow defying the odds and remaining open after thousands of stores have shuttered (at one point a new store was opening every 17 hours), essentially solidifying digital's dominance in the rental landscape for the foreseeable future.
The Good Old Days.
The Last Blockbuster's 1080p, MPEG-2 encoded transfer gets the job done and satisfies requirements for this type of production. This is sourced form a lower grade digital shoot and as such various issues – heavy compression artifacts, banding, and noise -- are commonplace throughout. But, frankly, this is not a film to watch for the sole purpose of ogling over the video transfer. It's instead about the last bastion of a bygone institution and it's narrative, not the way it looks, that's important (perhaps much the same could be said of most any movie out there, but it rings particularly true here). All of that said, the essentials are in fine working order. Color output satisfies, particularly, and obviously, the blue and yellow Blockbuster colors seen on signage and throughout the store, employee shirts, and the like. Additional color output is fine. Contrast is neutral whether talking natural greens or skin tones or the colorful video boxes lining the shelves. Fine object detail is adequate, including rental boxes, skin, clothes, even the carpet in the store. Clarity is fine with fundamentally clear imagery the norm. Various source and encode artifacts are present in regular to severe quantities, but chances are most watching the film through a nostalgic lens will forgive the otherwise poor work here.
The Last Blockbuster's Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack favorably compares to the broadest of the video quality observations: it's flawed but it gets the job done, and its flaws are generally glossed over in favor of the content it carries. The production is primarily all about the spoken word. Whether narration, static interviews, or chats out on the store floor or around Sandi's kitchen, dialogue clarity is always fine and images nicely to the center. Light musical supports play with pleasantly wide spread along the front and solid foundational detail. There are a few added sound effects scattered throughout, and right down to snapping shut the old, familiar VHS boxes each of them plays with enough authenticity to please.
The Last Blockbuster contains a number of additional scenes and a trailer. A DVD copy of the film is included with purchase.
Conversely, no digital code or slipcover are included. All extras are presented in 1080p MPEG-2 encoding.
It's a strange feeling to experience nostalgia when there's still "a" Blockbuster in existence but that store in Bend, Oregon is as much a curiosity, a destination, a museum these days as it is a place to check out the latest movies, pick up an old favorite, or discover a new one. Sure it purportedly does good business on the weekends but one can only wonder if it's not surviving more on, now, reputation rather than rentals, more on memories rather than movies. The Last Blockbuster is a touching film, made from the heart, about a business, and a business model, that's all but dead and buried. In that way it's very reminiscent of the excellent Jasper Mall, but chances are this film is going to resonate more with the movie watching crowd. Passion River's Blu-ray includes some extras but also features middling video and audio, but the disc comes highly recommended for the film; it's well worth a buy for every Blu-ray.com member.
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